Vandys 5A Avalon Eidolon Wilson WP7 Aerial 20

I have listened to all the speakers you mentioned except for the Aerial 20s & the Sonus Fabers ... I own Vandersteen 5s and would not trade them for any of the speakers you mentioned except the 5As.

I believe I mentioned this in another post of yours yesterday, but I feel that the tunability of the bass on the Vandersteens is a feature that you should not underestimate ... it allows you to get these speakers to sound better in your room than the others.

It also is not just about the bass. Yes, the adjustments are in the 20-120Hz range - but - that along with the overall bass level control has an amazing impact on the midrange ... when adjusted properly the midrange really opens up.

Trust your ears. Trust the feeling you get when you listen to all of the speakers. Forget specs and reputation and status symbols and buy the components (speakers included) that make you feel good about listening to the music. THAT is what it is all about - and - for me that is spelled Vandersteen.

Good Luck and Good Listening!

That's weird that you can not arrange a demo on Kharma's when the Kharma distributor is in the tri-state area. I suggest you try to get in touch with GTT audio(Bill Parish) and at least give the kharma's a listen. There are a few midi-grand's for sale here at audiogon with in your budget, which are the next model up from the 3.2's and are fantastic speakers(they are one of the only point source speakers I think I could be happy with).

Although I have heard them only once...add the Revel Salons and the Von Schweikert V-7's.

I like the Revel Salons also, and they are a good choice as well. (I own the Studios, the reason being that they sound very close to the Salons.)

That being said, a friend has the best system I know, and he uses the Avalon Eidonlons. Make sure you have lots of power though, and very good electronics.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Avalon Eidolons, as they would be my first choice if I had the money. (They look gorgeous as well! Very high WAF.)

My two cents worth.

i only listen to Edidlon(diamond) and Wilosn 7. Eidlon is good speakers with proper pre and amp, and while i feel Wilson is poweful but they are not as refined or musical. When speakers sound very impressive at the very few second or minutes then be careful, it may irritate you later on. Since you are spending lots of money, pls have a long session of listeing to every speaker before you decide. happy listening.

20t's are incrediable listen to them before u buy anything!

Avalon Eidolons will give you the longest lasting musical enjoyment. Does all the audiophile things correctly, yet remains very musical. Bass is excellent, tight and fast - not over blown or over extended. Actually the fastest bass I have ever experienced. I've heard all the ones you mentioned and the Eidolons are the way to go.

The weak dollar and distribution system for Kharma (and other foreign products) are going to make a decent sounding speaker ridiculously overpriced. I second Phil's choice of the Eidolon, does everything right. Tight and tuneful bass with decent efficiency and sensitivity. I ran mine with a 50 wpc class A amp to great success. BTW, count Accuphase along with Kharma- good stuff but way overpriced at current retail prices.

Aerial 20's are standing all by themselves in this match up..

Wait until you guys see the April Stereophile.

Front Cover Boys !!

Aerial 20's and wait till you read the review

Aerial has shown the world that they can produce the finest speakers on the planet !!

Enjoy

All of the speakers mentioned are very nice speakers. All will sound good within a good system. Only a few however have the capacity to sound great within a great system.

If you are *not* going to put together a 'great system' for awhile (defined as containing one of the top 5 digital seperates, one of the top 3 or 4 turntables, one of the top 10 amps, etc.) then any one of these speakers will do fine - listen to them, do your research, and pick your favorite.

If you *are* going to put together a great system, then you will be hard-pressed to hear most of these speakers in a system that will reveal just how far they can go and what their ultimate limits are because most dealers do not setup 'great systems' (Bill Parish at GTT Audio a notable exception). But in any case, for great systems, we like the Kharmas, the Avalon, and seriously try the Wilson Maxx (used, it is at the top of your price range).

In any case, don't forget to
Enjoy!
-Mike (not a dealer for any of these fine speakers)

JKPHOTO I to love the Vandy 5 However I am concerned that they a to big for my room.Which is . 16 ft l x 12.5 ft w x 8 ft h May I ask your opinion and room size. Thanks for any help. ARF

16 x 12.5 x 8? Shouldn't be a problem for the 5's or 5A's. They seem to work very wall in medium-sized rooms like your own. In fact, I would say they work better than they do in larger rooms. personal opinion, obviously, but I think you'd be in good shape with that.

Just be sure to experiment with having the speakers against the long wall. Seems to come out better more often than not.

I had the same worries,my room is only 13w x 21 x 12 h, but my new Vandy 5 a's are great in a difficult room. The bass integration adjustments make the room a lot less of a factor. Go for it!!